Typically, the final ceremony of the Blooding ritual within the clan was something to be celebrated with all hunters present and well, but due to the long delay, a brief, private ceremony was held for Dto-Raija—with only the Clan Leaders, Sain'ja, and the remaining trio that made up their troop present. Though to many it paled in comparison to the extravagant feasting and celebrations that usually ended the ritual, it almost felt more special this way to Nina—without the judging eyes of countless others watching her to speak and act with perfection and only those who mattered to her most to share the moment. Nonetheless, she had to remain as flawless in protocol as possible.
She waited in tense silence, bowed before the High Elder on one knee and facing the ground, as her superior examined her trophies from her Chiva. Already, he had given the Kiande Amedha skull to Sain'ja and now he meticulously examined the Ravager's hull blades with painstaking thoroughness. The records from her mask had already been played, and both the Council and Sain'ja had given their input on her actions during the trial. Fortunately, the only issue raised was regarding the Su'vi pup, and it was one easily thrust aside with little concern over her Chiva as a whole. All that awaited now was the Elders' final judgement.
"The blood of the Kiande Amedha," the High Elder began as he cast a brief glance down at her, breaking the long silence and running a hand along the flat side of one of the hull blades, "shall now forever stain the flesh. It is the mark of the Blooded, and a mark that signifies your fortitude in battle and your loyalty to your brethren. Will you uphold these truths in voice and action?"
"Yes, my Elder," she replied, swallowing quietly, "I devote my blade to my clan, and shall die upon that very same sword should I break from the laws of the Mighty Goddess, Paya. May the blood that I shed be greater than the blood that I take, for in that shall I find greater victory against my opponents. And may the blood forever stain upon my flesh in eternal memory of my conquest."
The High Elder motioned for Sain'ja to step up once more to accept the hull blades. Then, after shooing him aside to stand along the far back wall, he clamped a hand upon the top of Nina's head. She felt his claws dig into her scalp, but no enough to break the skin: Enough pressure was forced upon her to ache, but not to snap bone.
"You've proven great skill and power in your Chiva, and your endeavors have proven fruitful, but nothing is gained without humility and respect. Even pups have learned as much," he continued, "As you strive for title and status, will you honor the fallen, the Elders, and the gods with your respect of them? Will you remain humble, and bow before us as you do now as you gain strength? With you respect the power that aided you before your Chiva, and the power that now could crush you with the faintest effort?"
"Yes, my Elder," she said without the slightest hesitation, "Though the strength of the Goddess has blessed me this hunt, though my mentor has taught me well, I know I am still fresh to the taste of the blood of my quarry. As you are my superiors, I will forever bow before you as I do now, and honor you with the first cut of my meat. Should you make a request of me, I shall heed your call, and follow your commands diligently. I will always remember the powers that molded my own, and make this vow of my bloodline to always remember the same."
His claws left a harsh sting as his hand suddenly snapped away from her head. "Rise," the High Elder ordered—mandibles flaring out threateningly—and she did so immeadiately, staring at nothing but the far wall with the blank expression of the coldest of killers. Nina knew she had nothing to fear: It was still all a part of the ceremony.
"The Mark of the Blooded is one that must be carved into the flesh by one's own hand," he continued, "Yet what gives you the right to bear it? Defeating our most honored prey in battle? Feeling its blood brand into your skin a permanent mark of your Chiva until the day all flesh rots?"
This time there was no well-oiled line for her to recite, but this time, she didn't need it. Surviving a Chiva meant more than surviving the demonic creatures she had been made to face: It meant keeping your head in a situation equivalent to a war waged in Hell. The same could've been said for when she was first dragged into this world of hunters as the hunted: The same could be said now as her position as a hunter—and in such her very life—was threatened.
"I bear this mark," she returned, "not as a conqueror against Hard Meats, but as a conqueror against myself. I know the meaning of fear, and arrogance, and dishonor: They are the basis of our prey. In the moment of my Chiva—surrounded by darkness, and rage, and bloodshed—did these test me, but I conquered them and by doing so was able to gain victory. This is the true strength of a hunter."
The chamber fell silent. Nina felt the piercing stares of her companions behind her, but refused to move. For a moment, she wondered if she had answered wrong, but everything in it seemed to simply pour out of her—strong, and certain, and true—without pause. Perhaps another would have spoken of their skills in combat, or of the honor they displayed in the hunt, but what she had said was what felt right, even if she stood alone in her views.
The High Elder looked back once at the Council before turning again to her, his expression unreadable. Nina kept still as he pulled his Combistick from his side and brandished it in a flourish of motion.
Finally, he slammed it against the floor, dipping his head in acceptance.
…..
Typically, once a hunter had been fully accepted as a Blooded member of the clan, the entirety of those present would erupt in a chaos of cheers. Yet the final ceremony of her Chiva had instead ended in respectful silence as Nina, Sain'ja, and their hunt brothers bowed to the Council before leaving the chamber. Nina could feel it—the shared excitement among them—and was eager to for the celebratory roars and beatings that were sure to follow once they had made some distance.
The group of young clansmen rejoined an anxious Ehawee in the halls, who granted the former her wish with a welcomed slap on the back. Immeadiately, the pair fell into a swell of excited, though proud chatter, as only women of their newly given status were due.
Yet the male Yautja standing alongside them were not so enthralled. Nina turned to Sain'ja expectantly: Hadn't he been just as fretful—if not more so—of her passing her Chiva than she? Why wasn't he saying anything?
When questioned on the matter, the four males briskly gave their own congratulations, bowed, and excused themselves on their own business. And were it not for Ehawee standing beside her and pushing the matter upon them, the human wondered if they would've even done that much.
Nina raised a brow at Ehawee, tilting her head to further signify her cluelessness. "What's going on with the guys?" she asked once they were out of ear shot, "They've been acting strange ever since I awoke from the medbay. It's like their entirely different people."
"How so?" her hunt sister returned with some confusion.
"You've seen us before," she shrugged, "Now they're all acting stiff as boards around me. They're starting to act a little like how they act around you and the Honored Shii'va."
The Yautja female paused in her stride, staring at her human companion with a look of utter disbelief before she began to trill with laughter when what she had couldn't fathom had been confirmed. Unable to stop laughing, he clapped Dto-Raija upon the back and erupted into more chuckles when the latter looked at her with complete bafflement. "You haven't noticed your scent yet?" she asked.
My scent? Nina frowned. What about it? Didn't she smell the same as usual? A lot may have changed, but no blood transfusion could ever change every single chemical detail about her biology. Then again, although her senses had been further heightened, she doubted them to being anything close to that of an actual Yautja's. What had changed about her that everyone apparently knew but herself?
"You may be human," Ehawee sighed when she finally could breathe after her laughing fit, "but you're starting to smell more Yautja. And you're still female. Even Liwanu has begun scenting the air around you."
Her brows furrowed, Nina still didn't completely understand what was wrong. She hadn't changed that much: She was still the same person who stepped on the ship some weeks ago. And what did anything have to do with Liwanu? Their Chiva partner hadn't even spoken a word since the trial. Not to mention what did being female have to do with—
She froze with horror in mid-thought, her jaw dropping. She turned to Ehawee with a gaze that begged her to deny what they both knew, and the other tried to stop herself from laughing a second time.
This couldn't be happening… They were two completely different species that should be forever incompatible, and yet… No. No, no, no! Even though women were respected in Yautja society, she had seen how domineering the males were just to get their attention. Would any of them act similarly around her—her hunt brothers—and how would they act differently since she was human? And did that mean that she was expected to—No!
Ehawee clasped her shoulder firmly to snap her out of such thoughts, looking down at her with sympathy mixed in with the humor in her eyes. If it were anyone else, they probably would've told her to get a grip or have kept laughing. "You'll have to deal with their change in approach toward you, but take it as a change for the better. It means you have their full respect," she explained, "And you already seem to be taken as it is by your mentor. If any male tried to pursue you, they would first have to face Sain'ja in combat as well as your other companions for the right to do so, and their great respect for you means they won't pursue you unless they felt you gave them permission."
This is so wrong… Nina thought that, but didn't say it aloud. Still, the message must've somehow registered on her features.
"I doubt many will step up anyway. When you choose to mate, you'll likely choose the other human males within the clan, correct? Despite their status, defeating a Ravager has given you enough notoriety that your offspring's futures would be secure, and you're certain to procreate if you mate within your own kind. If you want to experiment though," she raised her tusks in a mischievous grin, "Adahy is a fairly good partner."
She had known it when Ehawee dragged Adahy off the day she awoke in the medbay, but talking about it so casually—about one of her friends no less—left her somewhat flustered. It was just the Yautja way though. "I think I'm going to wait for now," she choked out before trying to change the subject, "I take it that you won't know until…"
"Not for some time," she agreed, "But it won't stop me from hunting. When we reach the next planet, would you join me?"
"I'd be honored." She didn't think she could handle hunting alongside Sain'ja and the others for a little while. Of course she couldn't avoid them—she didn't want to—but for now she'd rather have a day or two to collect her thoughts about these new things that came with her new role in the clan and her sudden evolution. She wasn't scared of them trying anything either, but it would be awkward until she got used to the situation or else reminded them that, other than some slight differences in genetics, nothing about her had really changed. She needed some time to think, and maybe Ehawee to help her understand her precarious position better than she could on her own.